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* Former Rep. Mark Batinick in Crain’s…
Illinois’ economic racial equity ranks worst in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub study.
Despite a rich history of minority representation and executive leadership at the highest levels of federal, state and local government, Illinois minority families are materially worse off here than in any other state. How could that be? […]
Illinois Democratic policies verifiably impair — in some cases, catastrophically hurt — many of the individuals and groups they purport to help. Here are just a few examples.
Our local and state tax burden is worst in the nation. Property and sales taxes are profoundly regressive, falling hardest on the shoulders of minority families.
* IDES…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate is down -0.1 percentage point to 4.0 percent in June, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. Nonfarm payrolls increased by +8,400 in June. Both estimates are based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The May revised unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, unchanged from the preliminary May unemployment rate. The May monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +2,500 to +5,400 jobs. The June unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In June, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Educational and Health Services (+5,300), Construction (+2,900), Leisure and Hospitality (+2,900), and Government (+2,900). The industry sectors with monthly payroll job declines included: Professional and Business Services (-5,400), Manufacturing (-2,100), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-2,000). […]
The state’s unemployment rate was +0.4 percentage point higher than the national unemployment rate reported for June, tied with May for the smallest difference since February 2020 (pre-pandemic). The national unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in June, down -0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was down -0.4 percentage point from a year ago when it was at 4.4 percent.
Compared to a year ago, nonfarm payroll jobs increased by +121,100 jobs, with gains across most major industries. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Educational and Health Services (+42,400), Leisure and Hospitality (+33,800) and Government (+31,200). Professional and Business Services (-8,400), Information (-4,200) and Manufacturing (-1,400) reported declines in payroll jobs. In June, total nonfarm payrolls were up +2.0 percent over-the-year in Illinois and up +2.5 percent in the nation.
The number of unemployed workers was 258,100, the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic. The number of unemployed was down -2.7 percent from the prior month, and -9.4 percent over the same month one year ago. The labor force was down -0.2 percent over-the-month and down -0.3 percent over-the-year. The unemployment rate identifies those individuals who are out of work and seeking employment. An individual who exhausts or is ineligible for benefits is still reflected in the unemployment rate if they actively seek work.
* Prime example of “fittin’ to get ready”…
The City Council has approved an effort to create a working group that will craft recommendations for a pilot program to publicly fund plowing sidewalks across the city. […]
The working group will include members of various city departments. It must meet at least three times before May 31, 2024 to determine the size, location and funding sources of the pilot, according to the ordinance. The actual pilot program will then still need to be approved by the full City Council.
* Northwestern’s sports program appears rotten to the core…
Players have come forward with allegations of indecent acts in both the baseball and softball programs, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Chicago-based law firm Levin & Perconti. […]
The allegations of hazing in the softball program, the details of which have not yet been reported, “seem to have been as toxic as the football (program),” said Crump during the press conference today. “There were young girls who were not even of age yet, and they were preyed upon from day one, in their words.”
* I just love how Block Club Chicago covers Tyrone Muhammed…
The vacant Near South Health Center will become the latest temporary shelter for migrants newly arrived to Chicago, city officials said Wednesday.
At a town hall meeting held by Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) at the De La Salle Institute, 3434 S. Michigan Ave., city officials were met with strong backlash from community members who said they had received no notice of the plan. […]
Tyrone Muhammad, an activist arrested earlier this year for attempting to block the arrival of migrants at Woodlawn’s Wadsworth School, repeatedly interrupted Wednesday’s meeting. Muhammad expressed concern that migrants would not be individually monitored when leaving the shelter, and worried that some might be “former gang members.”
Ray Wences, a representative of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, stressed that all migrants going through the asylum process are given a background check by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and must demonstrate a “credible fear” of violence in their home country.
Muhammed doesn’t appear to even live in that neighborhood, and he’s well known for being a well-paid agitator for Paul Vallas and Dan Proft. He also broke up a rally to honor dead Black transgender women. Etc.
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Tribune | Gov. J.B. Pritzker touts Illinois’ clean energy policies during UK trade mission: In addition to seeking overseas companies to boost Illinois’ electric vehicle industry, as well as its standing in manufacturing, financial services, food processing and hospitality, Pritzker said he met with leaders in the quantum computing field, adding that he has a vision of making Illinois the “Silicon Valley of quantum development.”
* Jose Muñoz and Jennifer Crespo | Latinos deserve a seat on Illinois Supreme Court: Latinos deserve and are prepared to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court. The Cook County Democratic Party must epitomize justice and our shared values by slating a Latino candidate for the 2024 Illinois Supreme Court primary election. The time to embrace the inclusion of Latinos on the court is now.
* CBS Chicago | Victims of SNAP fraud start receiving reimbursements in Illinois: Federal Omnibus legislation passed in December that allotted $153 billion for the entire SNAP program required states to create and implement a way to reimburse recipients who reported fraud.
* Gateway Journalism Review | Chicago media struggle to tell migrant stories as thousands surge into the city: What’s missing is reporting that brings together the whole picture. It starts with tracking how and why right-wing southern politicians began sending uninformed immigrants into liberal northern cities. We need a better understanding of the likelihood that the immigrants will find a haven in Chicago and other big US cities or be expelled – as New York Mayor Eric Adams did, sending migrants to neighboring counties. What happens if the new arrivals simply melt into the more than 400,000 undocumented in Illinois and the 11 million in the US?
* SJ-R | ‘Hands have been tied’ in several important matters with Lincoln Library: A Lincoln Library board of trustee said “a pattern of disrespect and disregard for the board” has made trustees question what their roles are. Geoffrey Pettys, reading a letter signed off by trustees at Tuesday’s Springfield City Council meeting, said the board has been left out of the hiring process for the library’s last three directors, a trend he would like to see reversed as the library seeks a new director.
* Tribune | Ex-Mayor Lori Lightfoot sued to keep a letter about the city treasurer secret from the Tribune. Will Brandon Johnson continue her fight?: When the mayor was asked Wednesday whether he will drop or continue the city’s lawsuit against Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office for siding with the Chicago Tribune in a Freedom of Information Act dispute concerning City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Johnson’s newly confirmed corporation counsel jumped in instead.
* Chalkbeat | Chicago swears in new members to city’s last fully appointed Board of Education: As board members introduced themselves, Mariela Estrada, director of community engagement at the United Way of Metro Chicago, recounted being a “fierce” parent advocate. New board president Jianan Shi, former executive director of influential advocacy organization Raise Your Hand, noted that he is the first educator appointed as board president.
* Crain’s | Alight moving HQ downtown from Lincolnshire: Alight Solutions is relocating its headquarters from north suburban Lincolnshire to a dramatically scaled-down office footprint atop one of downtown’s newest skyscrapers, a move that notches a corporate win for Chicago but likely deals another heavy blow to the reeling suburban office market.
* Axios | Illinois corn growers face off against feds over emissions limits: The Illinois Corn Growers Association last week joined industry groups nationwide in pressuring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pump the brakes on proposed auto tailpipe rules. The rules would radically change our automotive landscape and improve air quality, but some growers in Illinois — the second-biggest corn producer in the nation — say they could also devastate the industry.
* Daily Herald | ‘It’ll be a great addition to town’: STEM school, subdivision planned for Naperville: Developers plan to build a STEM school and a subdivision on 12 vacant acres at the southwest corner of Diehl Road and Mill Street in Naperville. In addition to the 76 two-bedroom, three-story townhouses the Prosperita subdivision will bring to the housing inventory on the northwest side of the city, Orion STEM School, a 45,000-square-foot building, will open on the northern 5 acres of the parcel.
* Block Club | WHPK, University Of Chicago Radio Station With Deep Ties To The South Side, In Trouble After Funding Slashed: After proposing a budget of about $57,000 — in line with more than a decade of established funding — station managers received a letter from the university’s Program Coordinating Council saying the station would only receive $20,600 for the upcoming school year, documents provided to Block Club show.
* Crain’s | Two Hollywood unions on strike: What does it mean for Chicago?: Today, hundreds of Hollywood writers and actors will rally in Chicago’s Millennium Park, joined by other city unions like the Chicago Teachers Union and local Teamsters members, almost one week after the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, called for a strike after contract negotiations with Hollywood companies broke down.
* NBC Chicago | Tesla paying people to test drive its cars in a Chicago suburb: According to a job posting, which remained listed as of Wednesday, Tesla revealed it was looking to pay a temporary “vehicle operator” in Elgin, Illinois for an expected three-month position
* Crain’s | Tavern on Rush owner opening restaurant across from its former site: Less than a year after Phil Stefani closed his storied Tavern on Rush, the restaurant owner has signed a lease just across the street from the Gold Coast building his steakhouse occupied for more than 25 years. Stefani is set to open a restaurant at the base of the Thompson Chicago hotel, taking over the space occupied by Nico Osteria at the corner of Rush Street and Bellevue Place. Stefani said he does not know yet if he will resurrect the Tavern on Rush name.
* Sun-Times | School of the Art Institute will still work for ‘an inclusive campus’ after Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action: While she’s concerned about the chilling effect the decision will have on higher education, SAIC’s current admissions policies will not be affected, Tenny said. The school’s population of 3,500 students is currently 60% diverse and 40% white.
* NYT | Google Tests A.I. Tool That Is Able to Write News Articles: The product, pitched as a helpmate for journalists, has been demonstrated for executives at The New York Times, The Washington Post and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal.
* Brenden Moore | Slain Springfield organizer set shining example: Shafer, a Springfield community organizer and activist, was an agitator who had a penchant for stirring up “good trouble” in the interest of social justice. She was also a very dear friend of mine. Last week, I received a call no friend ever wants to receive. It’s never good when someone begins a conversation with “there’s no easy way to say this.”
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 2:23 pm
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I’m shocked and embarrassed about those Northwestern stories. Something new comes out every day. An absolute disaster for that university.
Comment by Stones Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 2:31 pm
= Tyrone Muhammad [f/k/a Tyrone Harvey]. . . worried that some might be “former gang members.” =
You know, I am 100% in favor of rehabilitation and giving people second chances. But for a guy who spent 20 years in IDOC to worry that asylums seekers might be “former gang members” is just a tad on the hypocritical side.
Comment by JoanP Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 2:39 pm
===just a tad on the hypocritical side===
Heh.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 2:45 pm
Wallethub. LOL.
Comment by Mick Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:07 pm
“Illinois Democratic policies verifiably impair — in some cases, catastrophically hurt — many of the individuals and groups they purport to help.”
Interestingly, I have the same view about the catholic church.
When a belief system is centered on the requirement of helping others, it requires a constant supply of others to be helped. Solving the problem would mean there is no longer any way to demonstrate their faith. Failure to solve the problem is structural and by design.
Between the two organizations, one of them has been around a lot longer. When do we get to hold that organization accountable in the same way, especially seeing how state and local govts shovel money into that org as a non-profit for the stated purpose of addressing these very issues.
It’s why the homeless problems in Rockford and other areas have now been handled better than ever before, and in a manner far better than the church has ever been able to accomplish in thousands of years.
I’ll take the ability of the state to eventually solve this problem, over Marks obvious upcoming attempt at shoehorning this into supporting the state continuing to shovel money into private religious schools.
*Wow. I was being a bit snarky in that last bit, but in order to be informed I decided to read the Crain’s full piece before submitting this comment. And lo and behold, what does he immediately pivot to as his solution and blame democrats for cancelling?
“..this program enabled thousands of students to escape dangerous, failing schools for better ones — even some of the same private schools attended by the children of many Democratic legislators.”
Sorry Mark. Time’s up for religion to solve the problem. A few thousand years is plenty of time to determine their failure. Get out of the way and learn from the people, not religion, leading the charge successfully in Rockford.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:11 pm
It’s not so funny for minorities who are the real victims of the failed policies in Illinois
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:22 pm
It seems worth pointing out that our regressive tax system was created by Republicans and they have fiercely opposed every effort to change them, including Batanick.
Every time Democrats try to increase funding for Chicago public schools, relieving the property tax burden, Republicans and their Allie’s cry foul and even resort to racist tropes about “throwing money at Chicago”, complete with caricatures of Black union leaders and even referring to CPS as a prison.
Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:29 pm
===It’s not so funny for minorities who are the real victims of the failed policies in Illinois===
With folks like Paul Vallas as the pseudo Republican for mayor losing, and no actual minted Republican running as such for mayor, as one example…
… how is it that if Republicans can be better for minorities they can’t win races running on those platforms?
I laugh at Batinick’s words ONLY from the standpoint “ok, if that’s your point, why can’t the GOP like you win races on economics and business within urban districts?”
Both NY and LA have had Republican mayors, not Chicago?
So, as that example to Batinick, how is it that failures are “seen” but not opportunity to run and win on those issues exist?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:34 pm
Our local and state tax burden is worst in the nation. Property and sales taxes are profoundly regressive, falling hardest on the shoulders of minority families.
weird, I wonder who opposed a garduated income tax in the state of Illinois?
Mark?
Comment by The Truth Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:54 pm
==failed policies ==
The only failures I see are you. Your ideas have been rejected over and over and over again. Yet you think if you yell loud enough that everyone will magically agree with you. How many times do Illinois voters have to reject your ideas for you to maybe adjust your thinking?
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 3:59 pm
Glad to see Rep. Batnick declare his support for progressive taxation
Comment by SweetLou86 Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 5:10 pm
“…Republicans can be better for minorities they can’t win races” (whatever that means)
“Your ideas have been rejected over and over and over again”
…that’s because you champion free money and no responsibility. Better known as “class warfare.” The results of those positions are tragically and historically horrific. Ask any Asian or Eurasian how the totalitarians crushed societies and culled millions.
Willful ignorance of historical precedence is an interesting position.
Comment by fitbit Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 7:24 pm
“how the totalitarians crushed societies and culled millions.”
Did they post a black and white headshot of themselves, overlaid with audio of them saying how they and their supporters are going to harm people like the world has never seen before, right before the midnight deadline to show up at the courthouse?
Did those totalitarians do something like that?
Here I thought it was the Eurasian operational policy of the Blitzkrieg and how the technology of the day facilitated such aggression by shrinking distances which were otherwise geographical barriers, which enabled such totalitarian crushing of societies.
It turns out I was wrong, and it’s actually my fault for not wanting to give more tax money to religious schools.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 10:24 pm
==Solving the problem would mean there is no longer any way to demonstrate their faith. Failure to solve the problem is structural and by design.==.
That must be one of the nuttiest comments Ive ever read here. So its the church’s fault they haven’t solved the evils of our economic system?
Comment by low level Thursday, Jul 20, 23 @ 11:45 pm
“So its the church’s fault”
Yes. It is the churches fault that the church has failed over a time period measured in thousands of years. I thought I was clear about that. Is there someone responsible for the church, other than that.
I was raised in the church. I spent years contemplating these issues based on how I saw and experienced the church operating. Then I left the church. I’ve made my choice, and you can make yours. Obviously, some people are fine with that dynamic. Ignoring that dynamic because it makes you uncomfortable doesn’t make it go away though.
You can call me nutty, or crazy, or any other name you like. But remember I just said I left the church, so the guilt you are attempting to apply to me right now isn’t going to impact me at all. It’s also one of the main reasons their policy positions fail, by the way. Maybe guilt is a bad way to actually solve problems?
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Jul 21, 23 @ 1:41 am